End guard for automobiles



Aug. 24 1926. 1,597,019

w. G. cox

END GUARD FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed Dec. 29. 1922 2 sheets-sheet 2' Patented Aug. 24, i926.

UNITED STATES PATENT WIIilIAM Gr. COX, OF CLEVELAND, Ol-lIO,v ASSZGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO g EATON AXLE AND SPRING COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATON OF OHIO.

END ,GFUAIRD4 FOR AUTOMOBELES.

A.Application filed December 2.9, 1922. Serial No. 609,678.`

My invention pertains to an end guard for automobiles, and my present purpose is to provide a simple mode of clamping an end guard, shield, bumper, buffer or a supporting partthereior, in a rigid horizontal position upon and apart from the projecting ends of an automobile chassis frame, using the suspension-spring bolts or" the car partly for that purpose, and forming theJ clamping members in a particular way to provide a universal fitting lfor trames in general use whereby their own attachment to the trame will be greatly facilitated and the clamping ot the guard conveniently effected' without supplementary devices other than mere, bolts and nut-s.

In the annexed drawings, Fig. l is a top view ot a bow-shaped guard clamped within a set ot my improved attachment members, the dotted lines representing one end of an automobile frame. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the iront end of an automobile, showing the shackle bolt attachment parts only, which when bolted in place serve as rests tor the guard itself in further attachment operations. Fig. 3 is a front view slightly enlarged, of one pair of supporting clamps atiixed to one end of the side member of a trame and with a short piece of the guard clamped therein, this view being taken on line 3-3 ot Fig. 5. Fig. el is a top view, partly in section, oi the Vsupporting clamps and trame end shown in Fig. 3, including a portion ot a bow-shaped guard. Fig. 5 is a vertical cross section and side elevation on line 5-5 ot Fig. il. Figs. 6 and 7 are separate perspective views of the two clamping sections which when united together torni a unitary clamping support and attachment fitting tor the guard.

Automobile chassis frames in general use comprise channeled side members 2 which taper and extend downwardly on curved lines at their ends where a yoke connection or bearing is provided to receive a shackle bolt 3 tor the suspension spring 4c. It is a common practice to support end guards or shields 5, commonly called bumpers or buiiers, upon the trame extensions, using either rigid or resilient brackets or arms. However, these trame extensions vary considerably in size and shape, and the mud guards or tenders, and the aprbns or splash pans, must also be considered in mounting and attaching the supporting brackets or arms for the end guards yupon and to the frame. Moreover, the trames of diilerent cars vary in `width and theirheights from the ground differ also. I meet all these conditions and provide a universaly itting or attachment deviceJ for end guards 5 of many different types or kinds by making a supporting member ot two separable parts A and B, having angular portions a and o, respectively, adapted to clamp the guard therebetween. The angular clamping portions aand b respectively, are of sutii'cient length to permit them to overlap when the main body portions A and B are fixed substantially parallel upon opposite sides of trame end 2, .for example as shown in Fig. 4. in other words, the clamping portions extend horizontally in opposite directions one behind the other and also extend vertically in opposite directions to provide relatively-long flat vertical clamping faces opposite one another. Spaced Vbolt openings 7 and 8 are provided in the vertical clamping portions a and b, respectively. Member A has a relatively short body, and the upper end oi its upwardly-extending arm or clamping portion a is bent rearwardly at right angles to provide a short lip or tiange 9 adapted to overlap the upper edge l0 of the angularly-bent portion b ot member B when the parts are assembled in clamping relation. The horizontal arm or body portion ot member A has an opening ll near its rear end whereby this member may be fitted over the inner pro- `jecting end ot shackle bolt 3 and clamped tightly by a nut l2 against the boss or enlargement 14 on trame end 2. As exempliiied herein member is a flat steel bar which is bent at right angles in the plane of its flat surfaceA and thence bent upwardly edgewise and finally in the flat again at its upper end. Vhen bolted rigidly in place on the trame end 2, member A extends torwardly and thence outwardly toward the fenders ot the car and thence upwardly directly opposite but apart trom the chassis frame end 2. In supporting an end guard two such shackle-bolt attachment members A are employed on opposite sidesy of the chassis frame, together' with two outer attachment or bracing members B. Each member l5 has a relatively long horizontal arm or body portion adapted to bear flat against the outer flat side or the channel frame 2 and to xtend forward horizontally in a higher plane than the horizontal arm portion of member A, and a series of bolt openings l5 in the rear flat end of member B, permit a hook-bolt 16 or other fastening device to clamp member B rigidly against frame 2the different openings l5 permitting different se "igs of the bolt for difrently curved trame ends. Member B is also made of a flat steel bar which is bent in the flat on a sweeping compound-curve liet veen itsV rear attachment end and its frontl clamping portion b thereby giving this member a small degree of flexibility or spring whichwill permit the attachment ends of the two members A and B to be spread apart within limits and to extend parallel or out of parallelism without affecting the clamping relation of their respective clamping portions a and l), or the registered alignment of the bolt holes 7 and 8 therein. Or conversely, when the 'two members A and B are clamped separately uponthe frame with the boltropenings out of register member B may be sprung to place the holes in register to receive the bolts 17.

rl`hus7 in attachingan end guard 5 to tue vehicle` the guard, may be placedv at rest upon the upper edge of the horizontal arm or body portion of member subsequently to fastening member' A to shackle bolt 3. Then member B may either be fastened to the frame in clamping'position against the guard before clamping the guard it, elfs or said member B may be clamped to member A with the guard between lprior to attaching member B tol frame 2. Different kinds of guards 5 and different forms of frames 2 make it `desirable to have this alternative mode of fastening of the parts together, and while inner member A is substantially lined in respect to the frame because of its connection therewith by shackle bolt 3, the outer member B is in a sense adjustable forwardly or rearwardly in respect to the' frame and to the clamping portion (t and therefore can accommodate and clamp guards of diderent thicknesses between the said members. Gpenings 8 in clamping portion b may be either round or elongated and in the latter event a degree' of vertical adju'stability is afforded between the two niembers A, and B whereby attachment of the device to different kinds of frames will be facilitated. rl`he openings 7 in member A arepreferably square to receive the square neck of carriage bolts 17 thereby preventn ing turning movement of the bolts when clamping connections are made. However members A and B may be modilied to pla` e clamping portion b of member B at the front side instead of the rear side of clamping portion u and in that event the square openings would preferably be placed in clamping port-ion Z). fis showin guard 5 comprises a liat steel bar which is clamped between the two members rl and B and the clamping portions a and b are flat to conform thereto9 but if this guard were of other shape, say round, hexagonal, semi-round, ctc., the clamping portions could be shaped correspondingly. As shownl members A and B have their opposed overlapping cl amping portionsspaced apart and thisv relationship is fixed and uncliangeable laterally that is to say, not capable of lateral adjustment in respect to frame end 2, inasmuch as the clamping bolts must pass through registering bolt openings' in the resil ective clamping poi-nous. is showin the elongated body or in portions of the respective members A td re .s vht and parallel viewed from e si e and lie in different horizontal planes above the other, and their perforated vinrent efremities are thereby placed ove and below a horizontal median line substantially defined by the guard itself which i located intermediate the upper and lower bolt openings in the vertical clamping portions a and il, respectively. lt should also be noted that members A. and ll are clamping` members in themselves whereby a guard 5 may be secured in place thereon without other means than the bolts. lu other words7 no supplemental clamping device engag'es the guard to secure it to the two vertical guard supporting portions t and as the invention has been expressly designed to omit and eliminate parts which may become loose or easily displaced by vibration. To that and other ends the invention is predicated largely on the idea of providing two independent attachment members with opposed or over-lapping anterior and posterior clamping portions or faces whereby the rear and front sides or faces of a part of the guard itself may be directly engaged and the guard clamped rigidly between the two members and not merely upon them.

1What l claim is:

l. An end guard for an automobile, comprising a pair of separable frame-attachment members having opposed anterior and posterior clampingl portions adapted to clamp a part of the guard directly therebetween.

2` An end guard for an automobile, comprising a pair of separable attachment menibers having overlapping clampingl portions adapted to clamp a guard member therebeed to be affixed on opposite sides of an eX- tending part of said frame having opposed clamping portions spaced apart in different vertical planes to permit a part of the guard to be interposed and directly clamped therebetween;

4L. A means of attaching an end guard to an automobile frame,- consisting of a set ofl guard supporting members each' set comprising a pair of attachment parts, means to affix said parts separately on opposite sides of the ends of the automobile frame, each pair of said attachment parts having clampingportions extending vertically and horizontally in spaced overlapping relation to receive and clamp a part of the guard therebetween, and bolts to clamp said overlapping portions together.

5. An automobile attachment fitting for an end guard, comprising a pair of separate attachment members having reversely-ex tending clamping portions anteriorly and posteriorly related at the front ends thereof to permit a guard member to be rigidly clamped therebetween.

6. An attachment fitting adapted to sup` port a guard member horizontally upon one end of an automobile frame, comprising a pair of clamping members having rear'- wardly extended bodyl portions to permit attachment thereof to opposite sides of a frame member and transversely extended overlapping clamping portions at their front ends projecting vertically in reverse directions to permit a guard member to .be clamped between said members, and means to draw said clamping portions together.

7. An attachment fitting for an end guard for an automobile, comprising a pair of separable attachment members having very tically-etended clamping portions provided with registering bolt openings, and a bolt for the registering openings.

8. A supporting and attachment fitting for an end guard for an automobile, comin-ising a pair of steel bars having' corresponding front ends bent laterally into spaced overlaping relation and thence vertically in opposite directions, and means to draw said overlapped ends together.

i 9. A clamping fitting and support for an end guard for an automobile, comprising a pair of steel bars having attachment portions of different length and bent reversely into overlapping relation at their front ends to permit a guard member to be clamped therebetween, said attachment portions havbolt openings and said overlapping portions having registering bolt openings. Y

A A n attachment fitting for an end guard for 'an automobile, comprising a flat bar bent at right angles in the flat between its ends and thence edgewise vertically, a second flat bar bent at lright angles in the flat between its ends and thence edgewise vertically, said bars having their vertical portions opposed flatwise to each other and provided with registering bolt openings, and a clainpingbolt for said openings.

11. An attachment fitting for an automobile end-guardcomprising two members litting respectively the front and rear sides of a guard-bar and the opposite sides of a frame-member'of the automobile.

12. An attachment fitting for an automobile end-guard comprising two members fitted for attachment to the automobile frame and at their forward-ends provided respectively with upward and downward offsets fitted for attachment to the bumper.

13. An attachment fitting for an automobile end-guard comprising two members fitted for attachment to the automobile frame and at their forward ends provided respectively with upward and downward offsets spaced to fit the opposite sides of the end-guard.

14. An attachment fitting for an automobile end-guard comprising two members spaced apart transversely at their rear ends to embrace the two sides of a frame-bar and at their forward ends spaced apart lon gitudinally to embrace the end-guard.

15. An attachment fitting for an aut-omobile end-guard comprising two members spaced apart transversely at their rear ends to embrace a frame member and at their forward ends spaced apart longitudinally to embrace the end-guard and also overlapping each other to embrace the same point of the end-guard.

16. An attachment fitting for an automobile end-guard, comprising two members fitted at their forward ends for attachment to the end-guard, and at their rear ends spaced apart to embrace the automobile endframe for connection thereto at different levels.

17. An end guard fitting .for an automobile having` a shackle-bolt comprising two iembers fitted at their forwardV ends for attachment to the end guard and extending thence rearwardly vfor attachment to the automobile frame on different levels, one reaching to the shackle-bolt and the other to a higher point on the frame in rear of the shackle-bolt.

18. An attachment fitting for an automobile end-guard comprising two members i tted at their forward ends for attachment to the end-guard and at their rear ends spaced apart to embrace the automobile frame for connection thereto at different levels, one at the shackle-bolt and the other at a higher point in rear of the shackle-bolt.

19. An attachment fitting for an automobile end-guard comprising two members spaced apart at their forward ends to embrace the end-guard and spaced apart transversely at their rear ends for attachment respectively to the opposite sides of the frame at points thereon which are spaced apart vertioally and longitudinally.

20. An" attachment fitting for an automobile end-guard comprising twoy members spaced apart both vertically and horizontally at their rear ends to embrace the automobile frame on diferent levels, and pro vided at theirI forward ends with offsets' for connection to the end-guard.

Q1.' AnI attachment tting for an automobile end-guard comprising two members spaced apart both vertically and transversly to embrace the automobile frame on dir'- eren't levels, and provided at their forward ends with ollsets spaced apart longitudinally to embrace the end-guard.

In testimony whereof, I aflifi my signa-v ture hereto.

` WILLIAM G. COX. 

